Okay, with Bethesda Studios behind, that’s another little yet epic and charming conversation between two odd NPCs that suffice to make the Elder Scrolls lore unforgettable. Running in circles must be what an Argonian does in Highcross: literally around Highcross. Instead of having an adorable moment shared between them, the cheeky phrase, “A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet!” unleashed thoughts. And by thoughts, I mean full-blown tsunami waves of demands, complaints, and sometimes one kind voice that was drowned in chaos.
Runs-In-Circles is the kind of NPC that would make one smile—until the smile fades because she is trapped in a geometry glitch. Because, you know, it’s a Bethesda game. The replies showed every possible sentiment in the spectrum: love, frustration, and downright confusion. One fan, who appears to be River J. Smith, just had to get it off her chest: “Hey Bethesda, I’m stuck in the damn map AGAIN. I love your games but I can’t complete this because it’s glitched.” Oof. That’s really the Bethesda experience—equal parts magical and broken.
While Matt vs. Metaverse was working on something wholesome: “We could all stand to be a little more like Runs-In-Circles.” Another majority was a sea of patch requests because most comments are cries for fixes. “Performance patch soon?” bork750 asked, to which Fabio said, “The game on PS5 is a broken mess, release a patch.” Even TheFinnPool got in: “What’s going on over at ESO servers? Loading screen stuck for 30 minutes.” Bug reporting at Bethesda is quite the community activity by now.
They appeared beyond just complaints, however. Then again, some of those few bothered with patch requests might have wanted more. The Black Swordsman (with a dramatic name comes a valid request) asked, “Can we have a physical edition of the game, please?” Likewise, CanadianZar had a specific request: “Help me out with a physical release of Oblivion Remastered.” Consequently, with “We want real life Skooma!” KeyBladeGX went all out Tamriel fantasy! Honestly, though? Same.
Some of the best came from Airmanareiks, twisting and reversing the Runs-In-Circles line (while ironically this word-race points toward Elder Scrolls humor): “A curious Argonian who, true to her namesake, will never learn from her mistakes and always run into them rather than being racist.” Justapokeball, who may very well be Runs-In-Circles herself, then spammed “NI NI NI NI NI NI NI NI NI.” No context. Just vibes.
So what do we have for takeaways? Games from Bethesda are adored, but community is loud and unforgiving when calling out issues. Performance patches, physical editions, or just eternal wishful thinking for a glitch-free playthrough, tard, fans are loud, passionate, and, given this history, a bit tired. But hey, at least we have Runs-In-Circles, the Argonian we don’t deserve but definitely need. Now if only she would stop running into walls long enough for Bethesda to fix the game.
